


Coffee shops and vistas

by crushculturetingz



Series: tangerines and blueberries [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Falling In Love, First Meetings, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Jealousy, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Smol tsukki appearance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:41:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27131275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crushculturetingz/pseuds/crushculturetingz
Summary: The local café's barista with orange hair and a bright smile greets Tobio a good morning. Tobio, in turn, pines for him.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Series: tangerines and blueberries [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1966450
Comments: 2
Kudos: 75





	Coffee shops and vistas

**Author's Note:**

> in conclusion, a coffee shop AU that no one asked for but I took upon myself to write.

_Oh fuck, oh fuck, I’m so late. Daichi-san’s gonna kill me._

With only two sentences repeating in his head like some sort of mantra, Tobio frantically ran towards his closet, picking the closest pieces of clothing that would constitute his outfit for the day. Tobio was usually quite punctual for work, so he hoped Daichi-san wouldn’t mind much. He knew he’d still get his ass beat though, no matter what. He roughly combed his hair, deeply regretting going to sleep late. He’d slept through his alarm like an idiot, and still didn’t feel quite as awake as he should have - despite splashing his face with cold water multiple times.

He got out of the house and rushed towards the nearest café which had opened up recently. He’d have to ditch his favourite coffee place today, there just wasn’t enough time to take that route. The thought of not having coffee for one day didn’t even cross his mind - he wouldn’t skip coffee even if the world was ending. 

He hesitantly stepped inside the bright-looking cosy café, and felt his nose tingle faintly due to inhaling the addictive smell of the coffee beans. The wind chime let out a musical tinkle. The walls were painted a pastel yellow, adorned by simple yet cute decor. A bunch of succulent plants were kept by the entrance, and the overall aesthetic of the shop pleased Tobio to no end. There were a fairly less amount of people present which was a huge relief. 

He was greeted by a short, orange-haired barista who chirped out an energetic, ‘’Good morning!’’ accompanied by a bright smile. It blinded Tobio for a moment, who blinked slowly - still not fully awake. 

As his vision cleared, Tobio gazed at the guy on the other side of the counter. His fluffy orange hair clashed horribly with the colour of his apron, but he somehow seemed to make it work. He was at least a head shorter than Tobio, and had a slender frame. Light freckles were dusted upon his pale cheeks, and his wide smile reached his hazel eyes as they shone brightly. For a wild moment, Tobio felt as though he could stare at him forever - conveniently forgetting that he was running late. Feeling a warm current arise in his own cheeks, he cleared his throat and responded with a much less enthusiastic greeting. 

The other didn’t seem to mind and inquired cheerily, ‘’How can I help you?’’

‘’I’d like a vanilla latte, please. With extra whipped cream.’’

‘’Coming right up! Your name?’’

Tobio averted his eyes. ‘’Kageyama Tobio.’’

He got his steaming hot coffee within a few minutes, and nodded a thanks to the cute barista, paying him for it. Sighing, he walked briskly out of the cafe, not wanting to be strangled by his boss. 

As he was by the door, he heard the barista say, ‘’Thanks for visiting, come again!’’ 

Trying to hide the small smile creeping over his face, Tobio mulled over the words as the cold wind hit his face. _Perhaps I'll ditch my favourite café just once more._

Turns out, he didn't ditch his favourite coffee shop just once after that. He abandoned it _completely_ (with no guilt whatsoever). The vanilla lattes at the new place were just way better in comparison, and the extra whipped cream would always be added in just the perfect quantity. There wouldn't be a lot of people early in the morning, the little café was much closer to his house, and there was an additional bonus. This additional bonus would greet Tobio every morning with the same bouncy demeanor and lilting voice, wearing the same poorly colour coordinated apron and the same bright, beaming smile. 

Over the days, Tobio warmed up to him a considerable amount - going as far as calling him a friend. It was nice, having Hinata - as he later learned his name was - be the brightest start to his day that he could ever ask for. Everyday he'd get served his favourite steaming cup of coffee and properly open his sleep-lidded eyes to the sight of a cheerful Hinata. Everyday, he'd give him the slow, lazy smile that he reserved especially for the orange-haired boy. The days started getting warmer as summer approached and Tobio slipped into a fairly comfortable daily routine. 

One day, he noticed a new head (quite a weird head of hair, at that) behind the counter as he waited for Hinata to get him his coffee. Tobio received his hot drink with a grateful nod and gesturing towards the pudding-head, asked, "Who's that? A newbie?"

"Yeah! This is my new friend and new employee, Kenma!

Kenma gave a slight nod from behind Hinata - nothing more, nothing less. Tobio felt like he would have much rather preferred _just_ Hinata to be present whenever he came by. Whether that was because of his antisocial tendencies, or just his general bias towards the boy speaking - Tobio didn't know. He'd be lying if he said he didn't look at the new guy skeptically just then. Thankfully, Hinata didn't notice and kept going on about the bottle of caramel that he'd accidentally spilt the other day. It was nothing short of endearing - the way he punctuated his words with hand movements, or the weird sound effects he made, or the manner in which he got excited over a little present he'd gotten from his younger sister (it was a crow keychain. It looked kinda ugly in Tobio's personal opinion, but he didn't mention that).

The next few days didn't exactly go easy on Tobio. His workload increased by a fair bit, because one of his co-workers' relative had died and they'd taken some days off, thus dumping all their work over him. He'd be tired out of his mind, staying up late and losing sleep over it. His eyebags became more prominent and his face set to an irritated frown by default. He thought the frown would vanish in Hinata's presence. He certainly didn't expect it to _worsen_ when he stepped inside the café. 

His eyes narrowed as they landed on Hinata and Kenma, standing a little too close for his comfort. Their faces were literal inches from each other, and this fact made Tobio's heart sink to his stomach. 

Clearing his throat, he announced, "Sorry for interrupting."

Hinata's head whipped towards him and his face morphed into a confused expression as Kenma simply stood by, his eyes boring holes into Tobio's head. Tobio couldn't tell what the latter was thinking. Kenma was so unlike Hinata that way. While Hinata wore his heart on his sleeve, Kenma never gave away what he thought or felt. It was as if he were constantly stoic. This thought had intrigued Tobio in the beginning, but now it just annoyed him. He racked his brain trying to figure out whether the looks Kenma was shooting him were analytical in nature or simply irritated.

Hinata broke the terse silence with a clueless "Huh?" and tilted his head to the side, resembling a puppy. Tobio rolled his eyes in exasperation. _What had I even expected him to say? Of course he's clueless._ Kenma still hadn't stopped staring at him with his cat-like eyes. Tobio gave a wave of his hand, as if dismissing the fact that the incident ever happened at all and said, "Never mind."

However, those words didn't dismiss the unpleasant thoughts that made their way into Tobio's brain that night.

Weeks started rolling by with absolutely no overall change in Tobio's life. Sometimes, he'd hang out with Hinata when he'd had enough of laying uselessly under his whirring and creaking fan. He couldn't fathom that he'd made a real, proper friend out of his local café's barista - a friend that he texted late at night, a friend that he goofed off with, a friend that he could shamelessly be dumb and stupid around. Admittedly, this friend also made Tobio gradually develop feelings for him that snowballed into something much bigger. He never confessed them to anyone - not even himself. 

Did it bother him that it had happened in such a short span of time? Sometimes. But as they said, time was an illusion anyway. Tobio couldn't find himself caring about falling so quickly and deeply whenever he gazed at the dimpled cheeks, and scattered freckles, and shiny teeth exposed in a grin, and chestnut eyes that twinkled endlessly. 

But, every now and then, he would catch himself caring a little too much about how the boy who had sunshine for breakfast would never look at him the same. The boy who had made him fall for the first time in his life most probably had a different person who he'd want to call his own. And the boy who greeted him good morning with the brightest and most beautiful smile in the world, in all likelihood, reserved a fuller smile - one filled with more love and affection - for an individual much more deserving of it. Tobio did spend a few nights hurting over it, the inexplicable urge to cry it all out gripping him every time. He’d always suppress it, though. Crying over the pain would just make it feel so much realer and that was something he didn’t want. He’d rather act ignorant about it and lie to himself over and over again. 

_Sure,_ lying to his own self also became a little too difficult sometimes. For example, whenever Hinata leaned against Kenma’s back whenever he was tired, or played with his sleek, blond hair - twirling it in his fingers, or whispered secretively to him but suddenly backed off on Tobio entering the cafe. Never before in his life had Tobio experienced his heart sink so many times. But then again, never before had he harboured such strong feelings for anyone - so that was to be expected. 

Laying down on the green grass, Tobio heaved a panting breath. The heat of the atmosphere started getting to him. Playing vigorous volleyball then proceeding to run all the way from the coffee shop to the garden was not the best idea. Hinata seemed to be in a similar condition as his, breathing heavily, his palms resting on his knees as he bent. Soon, they were both laid down next to each other on the damp grass, gazing peacefully at the sunset. The setting was one that could be considered romantic. Tobio didn’t want his mind to wander away to such dangerous thoughts. So, he ruined the tranquil silence.

“We should head back to the cafe soon. Kozume will be waiting for you.”

He tried to tone down the animosity and bitterness present within his sentence. But it was already said. Hinata paused for a while before replying.

“Don’t wanna. Let’s stay for a while. Please?”

It wasn’t as if Tobio could say no. So, they stayed. He almost fell asleep staring contently at the sun dipping below the horizon among hues of pink and orange that looked as if they were painted on the blank canvas of the sky. Quick, fervent glances were stolen between the two of them - all of them going unnoticed by the other. A strange feeling crept within Tobio’s lungs and robbed him of all the air present in them, strangling him to near-suffocation. The sun was soon completely hidden behind the skyline, engulfing them in calm darkness and making them lose themselves in the twinkling stars. 

Hinata said, “Hey, Kageyama-kun.”

“Yeah?”

“I know you think me and Kenma are dating. Kenma told me so. But we aren’t.”

Tears threatened to spill out of Tobio’s wide eyes. He didn’t meet Hinata’s gaze and lied, as usual, “Okay. Why should it matter to me?”

Hinata averted his line of sight, now looking back at the sky. His tone seemed a little forced when he said, “You’re right. It shouldn’t.”

These words made something within Tobio snap. It was as if a dam suddenly burst - letting its water rush out freely. Feeling choked up, his chest constricted as Tobio mumbled, “It does, though. It does matter.” 

When Hinata looked up at him then, Tobio could finally no longer hold back. He let a tear escape from the corner of his eye and choked out, “I’m in love with you, you _dumbass.”_ Saying it out loud was an experience like no other. He’d never even admitted it to himself - much less give it any thought at all. A whirlwind of emotions raged within him, making him go numb. He felt the singular teardrop trickle down his cheek but it couldn’t go any lower as Hinata’s thumb softly brushed against his cheek, wiping it away. 

When he turned his head to the side, he saw Hinata gazing at him fondly - with so much affection condensed it one single look that it made Tobio want to cry like a baby. He smiled softly, taking Tobio’s breath away. It was unlike his usual smiles which would be radiant and energetic. This one came steadily and slowly, as if they had all the time in the world. It was _full_ in an inexplicable way and made Tobio’s heart burst within his ribcage. 

“I’m in love with you too. _Bakageyama.”_

Tobio almost couldn’t believe his ears. “What? _What?”_

Hinata giggled under his breath. “Of course I am. It’s what I’d keep talking to Kenma about all the time. I thought I was being blatantly obvious but he told me not to worry ‘cuz you seemed as dumb as a rock.” Tobio, who was focusing all his energy on comprehending Hinata’s words, didn’t even feel offended at that. They laid once again in comfortable silence and Tobio could almost _hear_ a thousand thoughts zooming by in his brain. 

Unfortunately, they couldn’t lay there in each other’s company forever and soon had to get up and go back home. The little peck that Hinata shyly placed on his cheek before departing was enough to give Tobio a stroke. 

Soon enough, they started dating (to no one’s surprise). Tobio would get flustered everytime Hinata referred to him as his boyfriend. Kenma came up to him once and congratulated him for figuring it out (Tobio genuinely couldn’t tell if he meant it or was being sarcastic). Hinata started coming over to his house more often. His neighbour Tsukishima would complain about how Tobio’s “annoying orange boyfriend” was too loud in the mornings and deprived him of his beauty sleep. Tobio couldn’t find himself caring. 

As he woke up in the morning to find Hinata laying in his bed - brown eyes staring up at him and pink lips softly mumbling, “Good morning, Kageyama-kun,” Tobio knew that the boy who had sunshine for breakfast was looking at him the same. The boy who had made him fall in love for the first time in his life wanted to call Tobio his own. And the boy who was also his best friend was indeed the one who’d greet him good morning everyday with the brightest and most beautiful smile in the world. 

**Author's Note:**

> I post some of my drawings on twt and tumblr. so. hmu!!!  
> [my twitter](https://twitter.com/noyastanonly?s=09)  
> [my tumblr](https://noyastanonly.tumblr.com/post/632122908136947712/my-first-piece-of-digital-art-and-its-a-kuroken)


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